White Papers

Gain detailed information on the technologies, products and services that will help you make informed decisions about your telecom needs, future and security. CenturyLink's white papers give ample information for you to be knowledgeable when conversing with colleagues and your CenturyLink representative about important choices and solutions.

When IPv4 was introduced in 1981, it was believed that the approximately 4.3 billion addresses would last for the foreseeable future. Just 30 years later, there are more people on earth than total IPv4 addresses—and the last of them will be issued in mid-2011.

Many businesses are unprepared to maintain access to critical data and applications in the event of a disaster. Results from a recent Coleman Parkes Research study published by CA Technologies showed that "small companies suffer the most during periods of downtime, showing the least ability to generate revenue." You can't eliminate threats to business continuity, but you can implement a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BC/DR) plan that will keep your company productive. Start with these 5 essential best practices for BC/DR.

According to a recent online poll of IT and business leaders conducted by IDG Research Services, virtually all enterprises are using or plan to use at least one application and/or a portion of their computing infrastructure via a hybrid cloud model.

IT cites benefits, downplay security as they move applications to the cloud
Will security worries be the undoing of cloud adoption? Not likely, given other, more pressing threats like device theft, mobility and IT consumerization. And with new technologies able to mitigate the real and perceived risks inherent in hybrid clouds the combination of internal and external servicesIT leaders say they see opportunities to up the ante on security for greater end-to-end protection.

An IDC Executive Brief
Today's business operating environment across all industries has become a challenging and competitive arena. As organizations strive to grow and capture market share, they use a variety of business models and solutions to successfully achieve their business objectives.

Cloud-based computing is one of the hottest topics in IT circles, as businesses of all sizes look for more innovative, efficient ways to do business while reducing the high cost of infrastructure. But what exactly do we mean when we talk about the cloud? What's real and what's hype? And what does it mean for your business?

Are you ready for the new HITECH Act's requirements for privacy and security? Do you know what safeguards are required to protect patient data? Get the answers you need in this simple checklist with links to the latest regulatory standards for electronic health records.

Like business insurance and disaster planning, data security is all about reducing risk.Learn what basic security steps you should take to protect against viruses, worms, spyware and other hazards-and keep your business up and running.

The Web and email are integral parts of your business, yet the open nature of the Internet makes your business more vulnerable to security issues, including viruses, spyware and phishing schemes. New risks arise daily, but you can protect your business by implementing these best practices for better data security.

Businesses of all sizes must be vigilant about data protection, but what threats are of most concern? How can you give employees access to information without giving it to criminals? And how much security is enough? CenturyLink Director of Product Management Bob Schroeder has the answers.

Understand the Benefits of Implementing a System
A provision in the federal stimulus act is expected to transform the healthcare industry because of financial incentives for practices to improve the way medical records are stored. Here's how Electronic Health Records will help make your operations stronger and improve patient care.

Solving business problems with technology creates competitive growth opportunities
A recent business news story on the recessionary environment reported that "fear" is now running the show in this country. That fear-factor sentiment is pervasive in "doom and gloom" stories that dominate daily U.S. news. Everyone is fearful, and challenges abound for all businesses, including many of the nation's Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs). But with history as a guide, it's important for businesses to attempt to transcend the anxiety and uncertainty, and view a downturn as an opportunity to invest in future success.

It's not just retailers who need to be aware of the risks around credit card data. Anyone who transmits, processes or stores payment card data is at risk-from stores and restaurants to doctor's offices and auto repair shops. Learn what's required to prevent breaches.

Creating the foundation for a collaborative environment
A converged voice and data network is the foundation for Unified Communications (UC), which fosters productivity through mobility and collaboration. This paper examines the value of UC applications, tools and technologies to provide guidance for pain-free migration to a more efficient and high-performance business environment.

The benefits of Unified Communications
In these challenging economic times, many organizations have reduced budgets and furloughed employees. One of the important consequences of downsizing is that the remaining workforce must work both efficiently and cost-effectively. This is especially important to mid-sized companies. But organizations can't do more with less by doing business as usual. Thus it's especially important that available personnel have the tools on hand to maximize their productivity. These are precisely the benefits cited by early adopters of Unified Communications.

Best practices for developing a sound UC strategy
Unified Communications has been the buzzword du jour since 2007, but what does it really mean? More importantly, what does it mean for small to medium sized businesses, and how can a business with limited resources and budget deploy UC effectively to capitalize on its many benefitsnamely, enhanced productivity, cost savings and flexibility in the work environment? This paper takes a look at UC and its components, and examines how midsized companies can execute a cost-effective, viable UC strategy across their organizations.

A layered approach to security may be your best defense
Threats abound in today's corporate networks. There's no getting around it. Keeping your enterprise and its data and corporate assets secure necessitates a proactive security posture. Being proactive involves understanding the assets that require risk mitigation and the proper controls to support your risk management strategy. This paper uncovers the five most costly network security threats that enterprises battle today and how you can protect your business by implementing key layers of control and taking advantage of managed security services to do more with less.

Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) is a converged data network technique that facilitates the most efficient platform for transporting a diverse array of different types of traffic. MPLS provides a simplified network infrastructure for the simultaneous transport of multiple applications such as voice, video, and data.

Inside the networked enterprise, data streams are purchase orders, invoices, design specifications, online transactions, and customer service interactions that must flow across the network reliably, securely, and in real time. To support these mission-critical enterprise networks, enterprises are looking at alternative delivery models. Network management services can help companies reduce the overall cost of network operations and acquire the expertise needed to manage network complexity.

Staying competitive in today's constantly changing business environment is an ongoing challenge. And these challenges expand as it becomes harder to engage in real-time interactions with colleagues and project teams who are likely spread across disparate locations. Focusing your IT staff on projects that enhance your core business expertise, while bringing external value-added services inside, makes removing the boundaries that hinder doing business anytime, anywhere a realityinstead of a want-to-have capability.

Most companies are swamped by feedback from their clients.
The real challenge is making good use of what they're trying to tell you. Building a customer-centric company requires a determination to collect customer feedback, analyze it rigorously, and, most importantly, change the way you do business in response to what customers tell you.

IT professionals need the capability to simplify their infrastructure in order to facilitate better ways of delivering services to their end users, and the level of proficiency needed to keep up with network technology has escalated. To ensure your IT resources stay focused on the critical, strategic projects that promote competitive advantages, consider the benefits of managed service providers.

How to drive operational efficiencies with communications solutions and technologies
As companies struggle to be profitable, the right communications technologies and strategy can be a big factor in achieving their budget goals. This paper takes a look at how to best optimize communications during a recession by using IP telephony, wireless technology and conferencing solutions to drive greater business value and productivity on a minimal budget.

CIOs must manage security risks while addressing business needs and focusing on revenue-generating activities. This paper offers a strategy for providing data security and protection that addresses the rising data threat landscape, the need for compliance, and today's lean IT staffs.

Businesses managing payment card data face tremendous security challenges. The cost of a security breach can be devastating in terms of lost revenue, legal costs and damaged reputation. In fact, the payment card brands may even stop a business from processing credit card and debit card payments from customers.

How to plan, implement and execute a quick recovery strategy for local accidents and natural disasters
Today's unpredictable world puts pressure on IT departments to maintain business continuity in the face of many challenges. Natural disasters, network outages, cybercrime and security breaches can bring business to a halt if a company lacks a sound disaster recovery plan. However, with the right people, processes and technologies in place, companies can withstand and recover from even the biggest threats. In this paper, Dusty Williams, CIO of restaurant conglomerate OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC, and Mike Cybyske, CBCP, Manager for CenturyLink Disaster Preparedness, review their experience with implementing disaster recovery plans in their organizations and best practices for maintaining business continuity in the face of natural or man-made disasters.

How Service Providers Can Help Consolidate IT Expenses
CTOs know that today, when it comes to IT, more is no longer better. IT departments in every industry are faced with static or shrinking budgets and the mounting pressure to do more with less. To reduce operating expenses and network spending, they must find ways to maximize their current investments rather than make new ones. Opportunities for outsourcing infrastructure and applications management, WAN optimization, cloud hosting and software as a service (SaaS) are now available and can help IT departments meet their budgetary requirements for 2009.

Tips to help you achieve your goals in the new year
As the calendar changes, renewed optimism grows around the possibilities the new year may bring. And with some planning now, you can set yourself up to make those possibilities probable.

The data collected by manufacturing execution systems, used to automate processes within a plant, can now be shared across the company, along with the process applications to easily shift production from one plant to another.

Why investing now in data, voice, and networking services makes sense
In a 2009 survey conducted for CenturyLink by Fortune Custom Publishing and IDG Research Services, a majority of IT and business managers believe that spending on voice, data, and network services in difficult times can help companies meet their business objectives and gain an edge for future competition. Half expect such investments to leave them better prepared to compete when the economy recovers.